1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to what is conventionally known as a hat box design. More specifically, the present invention discloses a two piece plasticized container with a lid and a base and which incorporates a novel interlocking arrangement established therebetween to permit the lid to be angularly supported upon the base in a first open configuration and, upon being rotated to a closed position, linearly displaced forwardly to establish a tactile and snap-shut configuration.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art is well documented with examples of either hat box or other article holding/supporting containers. In one application, it is desirable to be able to interlock together in a stacking arrangement a plurality of item holdable containers.
A first example of such an assembly is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,772 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,350, both issued to LaMarche et al., and which teach an assembly of interconnected containers, each exhibiting an upper portion permanently connected to a lower portion by a hinge or hinges, and with the upper portion having a pair of elongated generally parallel upwardly open channels. The container also has a pair of generally parallel downwardly projecting flanges structured to engage an upwardly open channel of an adjacent container and adjacent containers having either at least one of the channels engaged by a flange of an adjacent container or at least one of its flanges engaged in a channel of an adjacent container or both. The channels preferably communicate with at least one open end so as to permit relative sliding removal and insertion of the containers from and into the assembly. The channels are disposed closer to each other than are the flanges. In one embodiment, the upper portion has the upper sidewalls diverging downwardly therefrom and the lower wall has a pair of lower sidewalls diverging upwardly therefrom. The containers may be transparent and molded as a unit with integrally formed hinges. Support structure may be provided within the container to support one or more articles disposed therein. Individual containers for use in such an assembly are disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,505, issued to Jupille et al., teaches a plurality of stackable trays and methods for stacking the same. Each tray exhibits two side walls, each having a top channel along its top edge and a bottom channel along its bottom edge, each channel further having an inner and an outer channel wall, where the width of two adjacent top channel outer channel walls is less than the width of the bottom channel, whereby two such top channel walls may slide into a bottom channel of a stackable tray of like kind, and where the width of two adjacent bottom channel outer channel walls is less than the width of the top channel, whereby two such bottom channel walls may slide into a top channel of a stackable tray of like kind.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,410, issued to Fries et al., teaches a portable hat box for a brimmed hat having an upper member and a lower member. The upper member is pivotal relative to the lower member about a pivot axis and between closed and open positions. The members in the closed position completely enclose a hat chamber. Each of the members includes a platen surface. The lower member platen surface is substantially complementary in shape to the upper member platen surface. The platen surfaces are positioned adjacent to one another, having a substantially constant vertical clearance therebetween in the closed position, as well as being non-adjacent and obliquely related in the open position.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,515, issued to Agostine, teaches a hat storage container wherein outer walls define a body and a bill, enclosing a space including a main body chamber and a bill-shaped container adapted to receiving a hat bill. The main body chamber is adapted to receive the main body portion of one or more corresponding billed hats. Preferably, the main body chamber is longer than the main body portions of the hats to be stored therein, whereby the main body chamber is adapted to receive a shingled array of a plurality of the hats; the bill-receiving chamber being adapted to receive the corresponding shingled array of bills.